Easy Dumpling Soup

As soon as cold weather hits, it’s time to break out the big soup pot at my house. Although I love classics like chicken and wild rice soup or hearty minestrone soup, I don’t always have the time (or, let’s face it, the patience) to make soups that require a ton of prep or a long simmer. That’s one reason I love this easy dumpling soup. With the help of frozen potstickers, a few pantry staples and some fresh ingredients, it comes together in a flash.

If you loved the TikTok-famous Trader Joe’s soup dumpling hack, you’re going to love this family-sized dumpling soup recipe. It’s made with miso paste, ginger, garlic and chili crisp, ensuring that each spoonful is packed with savory and spicy flavors.

Easy Dumpling Soup Ingredients

• Sesame oil: This type of oil has a nutty flavor, and adds a bit of complexity to the soup. You can use regular or toasted sesame oil.
• Aromatics: Thinly sliced green onions (both the white and green parts), finely minced garlic and finely minced fresh ginger are sauteed in the sesame oil to add a punch of flavor to the broth.
• Mushrooms: You can use fresh white or brown mushrooms to make this recipe.
• White miso paste: Miso paste, made from fermented soybeans, adds an umami flavor to the broth. Use white miso paste for this soup; it has the mildest flavor.
• Vegetable broth: Use low-sodium vegetable broth to control the soup’s overall salt content. A low-sodium chicken broth brand would work just as well.
• Low-sodium soy sauce: Soy sauce adds more umami and salty flavor to the broth. Use your favorite brand or try one of our Test Kitchen’s favorite store-bought soy sauces. Choose a low-sodium variety to ensure the soup isn’t too salty.
• Frozen potstickers: Choose from vegetable, chicken or pork potstickers. The flavors of this soup work best with Chinese potstickers or Japanese gyoza, though nearly any type of frozen dumpling would do, depending on its flavors. No need to thaw the potstickers before using them; they will cook in the soup.
• Baby spinach: A couple of handfuls of baby spinach are added to the soup for nutrition as well as a pop of fresh green color.
• Chili crisp: A drizzle of crunchy chili crisp—which has a spicy and savory flavor—is used to garnish each bowl of soup. Try one of our Test Kitchen’s favorite chili crisp brands, or make your own chili crisp from scratch.

Directions

Step 1: Saute the aromatics

Heat the sesame oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and green onion and cook them until they’re soft, about two to three minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and salt and cook them until they’re fragrant, about 30 to 60 seconds.

Step 2: Add the broth

In a small glass bowl or measuring cup, add the miso paste to 1 cup of vegetable broth and stir until it’s dissolved.

Add the mixture to the stock pot along with the remaining 5 cups of vegetable broth. Stir in the soy sauce. Bring the broth to a boil.

Step 3: Stir in the potstickers

Add the potstickers and cook them according to the package instructions. Turn off the heat. Add the spinach and stir the soup until it’s wilted.

Step 4: Garnish the soup

Ladle the dumpling soup into individual bowls and garnish each serving with a drizzle of chili crisp.

Easy Dumpling Soup Variations

• Add more protein: Add cooked, shredded chicken, pan-fried tofu cubes or browned ground pork to the soup to boost its protein content.
• Spice it up: Increase the heat by adding a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, or add a more complex spicy flavor with a pinch or two of Chinese five spice.
• Volume up the veggies: In addition to—or instead of—spinach and mushrooms, you could add shredded carrots, fresh or frozen green peas, green beans, shelled edamame, or broccoli florets to this soup to pack in even more nutrition.

How to Store Easy Dumpling Soup

After allowing the soup to cool, remove the dumplings from the broth and transfer them to an airtight container. Transfer the broth to a separate airtight container. Store both in the refrigerator.

How long does dumpling soup last?

It’s best to eat leftover soup within four days of making it.

How should you reheat easy dumpling soup?

Reheat the leftover broth and dumplings separately in microwave-safe containers. Ladle the reheated soup into a bowl, then add the reheated dumplings. Top it with chili crisp.

Easy Dumpling Soup Tips

What else can you serve with easy dumpling soup?

Serve this easy dumpling soup with an Asian-inspired salad such as tofu salad or ginger-sesame steamed vegetable salad. Or serve the soup as the first course in a meal of Chinese takeout-inspired dishes such as Mongolian chicken, kung pao chicken, Chinese-style ribs or slow-cooker beef and broccoli. And don’t forget the fried rice!

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